The House of Chang
by addictedtoheroine
Summary: AU Cedric would have made a wonderful father. Too bad he never found out... NEW CHAPTER UP!
1. Undisclosed But Positively Brilliant

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

**THE HOUSE OF CHANG**

**addictedtoheroine **

**Chapter 1**

_**Undisclosed But Positively Brilliant**_

**_  
_**

'Doth mine eyes deceive me?' Marietta Edgecombe exclaimed as she put her tray down on the table. She placed her hand over her heart in mock horror. 'Is this really the Ravenclaw table? I see no trace of the dashing Mr. Diggory.'

'If you must know, Marietta,' Cho Chang replied, her voice calm as she primly cut her pancakes up into neat strips, 'Cedric is in the library catching up on a Potions essay. I've no intention of disturbing him.'

A familiar blonde owl swooped low over Cho and dropped a small parcel on the bread plate in front of her.

'Merlin, you two have only been apart twelve hours and already the boy's sending an owl,' Marietta said, shaking her head. 'Go on then, open it.'

Cho reached out, feeling her cheeks flush. Really, she was never the type to go mad over boys—why, she had even escaped the Lockhart mania that gripped the female population at Hogwarts two years ago! _But this is Cedric, _she thought as she peeled away the brown paper wrapping. Cedric Diggory, Triwizard champion and the pride of Hufflepuff House, was clever—his O.W.L.s results were the best of any in his year (oh, how the Ravenclaws hated him for that!). He was an excellent, _excellent _Quidditch player, even if he was an embarrassing foot taller than all the other Hogwarts seekers (including—and most especially—Cho herself). He was confident but unassuming, strong yet gentle, and of course any list extolling Cedric Diggory's finest qualities was never complete without an in-depth discussion of his _smile_…

'Cho's got her goofy face on again.'

Cho sent dagger looks in the general direction of Marietta.

Padma Patil leaned over to peer at the now-unravelled package. 'It looks like a crumpled piece of… really thick card?'

Cho glanced down and was momentarily stunned to see a fortune cookie clutched in her hand. 'Oh! Oh, this—it's a Chinese biscuit. You… you eat it after a meal. Like a chocolate mint,' she blabbered, trying to sound blasé. 'To cleanse the palate.'

Padma and Marietta looked disappointed.

'I wonder how he got hold of one, though,' Padma mused. 'There isn't a Chinese restaurant anywhere near here. Maybe he got one of the house-elves to make it?'

'Or he could have conjured it up himself,' Marietta told Padma. 'The boy is Triwizard Champion, after all.'

Cho made certain nobody was looking when she broke the biscuit open underneath the table and pulled out the strip of paper inside. It read:

Miss Chang,

_You are cordially invited to wine and dine at an undisclosed but positively brilliant location tonight. If you accept, I'll be waiting for you at 6:30 p.m. at the Astronomy Tower._

_Please say yes._

_  
xxx_

_ P.S. Do come hungry._

_P.P.S. Not too hungry. I've seen you eat, you know._

'Are you all right, Cho?' Padma asked, her voice snapping Cho out of her reverie.

'Oh—yes, I am,' Cho replied quickly, tucking the note into the pocket of her robe. 'I'm fine.'

_And quite possibly the happiest girl in the world._

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: My first ficcie! How did you find it? Yes, Padma's a year younger but I figured I'd make her friends with Cho; their Asian descent would certainly give them things to talk about. 


	2. A Most Fortunate Biscuit

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

**THE HOUSE OF CHANG**

** addictedtoheroine **

**Chapter 2**

_**A Most Fortunate Cookie**_

Cho shivered in the breeze, wishing she'd brought along something warmer than the flimsy, diaphanous shawl around her shoulders. She'd agonised for ages about what to wear—at one point even considering the dress robes she'd worn to the Yule Ball—but in the end decided on something that the Muggle magazines her cousin fancied had called 'a little black dress.'

Large, slender hands encircled her tiny waist, coming to rest on her stomach. 'Thanks for coming,' Cedric murmured in her ear. His rich baritone, the warmth of his breath, and that wonderful Cedric smell—like the woods after a spring rain, mixed with soap and something else that was just so uniquely _him_—filled Cho's senses and threatened to rob her of her wits.

Cho turned around and wound her arms around his neck, tracing the curve of his nape with her fingertips. 'I've missed you,' she said softly. It was easy, too easy, to lose herself in Cedric's piercing grey eyes. 'I didn't see you all day.'

Cedric bent his head down and touched his nose to hers. 'I was busy preparing all of this for you.'

Her lips parted beneath the sweet, moist softness of his. He drew her ever so closer, breathing in the honeyed scent of her shimmering hair, marvelling not for the first time at how small and fragile she felt in his arms.

'Yum,' Cho said playfully when they finally came up for air.

Cedric chuckled, planting another kiss on her forehead. 'We mustn't keep dinner waiting.'

'So where is this undisclosed but brilliant location?' she asked.

'Just round the corner, actually,' he told her, taking her hand and leading her to a tent hidden in the shadows of the tower. '_Voila_!'

In front of a blazing fireplace was a table set for two, in such a way that they would have to sit next to each other like they did at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables every day. Strains of a sonata streamed softly from violins floating in mid-air. Candlelight cast soft shadows on the gleaming cutlery and the rich, sensuous colors of the room.

'Ooh,' Cho breathed in rapture.

'Amazing what you can learn from Flitwick, really. Better than Madam Puddifoot's, don't you think so?' Cedric said, pulling up a chair for her.

'Much better,' she agreed as she slid into her seat.

He grinned, running his hand through his hair. Then he groaned. 'Damn, I keep forgetting I'm not supposed to do that! Took me three hours to comb it and three seconds to ruin it.'

Cho's laugh rang out, a clear tinkling that had the same pure resonance as her name. 'I like your hair like that. It's the way it looks on the Quidditch pitch.'

'Oh, so Miss Chang has been watching me, eh?'

'Hardly. The snitch had been tangled up in your hair the last time, remember?'

Something about Cedric just made Cho feel more at ease somehow, more _herself_.

The violins serenaded them as they ate egg drop soup, spring rolls, roast duck, and sticky rice that Cho deftly speared with chopsticks. 'I never knew you liked Chinese food,' she said in between mouthfuls.

'I've never had it before in my life,' Cedric told her. 'But after the Second Task, I wanted us to have a celebration of sorts, something you'd enjoy. And I figured it must've been ages since you had this kind of meal.'

She reached out and twined her fingers with his. 'You are the most wonderful person ever. Thank you.'

'I better be,' he joked.

'Let's dance,' Cho said suddenly, tugging on his hand.

Cedric allowed himself to be pulled out of his seat. 'All right, Cho, just remember I've not really improved since the ball.'

'Shh.' Cho rested her head on his chest. 'Just hold me and we'll be fine.'

He relaxed and rested his chin on top of her head. 'Actually, Cho… There is one other reason why I asked you to have dinner with me here,' he said, stroking her hair.

'Yes?'

'I wanted…' Cedric swallowed. Then he withdrew another fortune cookie from his pocket and wrapped her fingers around it. 'I wanted to give you this.'

Cho looked at him curiously, stepping back in order to break it open. What she saw inside left her dumbfounded. She lifted her gaze, only to find Cedric on one knee in front of her.

'Cho Chang… I… Would you marry me?'

'Merlin…' She put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. 'What… Cedric, you must be mad!'

Cedric clasped her hands in his and brought them to his lips. 'Tonight, I'm saner than I ever will be.'

Her legs turning to jelly, Cho sank down to her knees in front of him. 'But we're so _young_! Sixteen and seventeen… and engaged? Don't you want to see the world, have a career… things like that?'

Cedric looked surprised. 'Of course I do, Cho. With you.'

Cho's heart wanted to burst, but she reined it in. 'Cedric, wait. We haven't even been together for very long. How do you know this is what you want? How do you know _I'm _the one you want?'

'You doubt me even after I've resisted a veela for you?' Cedric joked.

'Part veela,' she reminded him.

'I'm not talking about Fleur, I'm talking about the ones at the Quidditch World Cup.' Cedric grew serious. 'Cho, you know me. I don't rush headlong into things. And I've been having these dreams… I don't know, they scare me, it's like I'm going to lose you somehow. Then when I realised what I had to do for the Second Task… I just can't take another chance like that.'

'Your father has mapped out your entire future for you. What will he think?'

'He can think whatever he wants. He'll probably be surprised—'

'An understatement.'

'—Perhaps, but he'll get used to it. Your charm has never failed you, you know. You've got the entire Ravenclaw Quidditch team wrapped around your little finger. Half the school wanted to take you to the ball, too. Makes me wonder what would've happened if I didn't beat Harry Potter to it.'

'Easy. You'd have gone with Fleur,' Cho teased.

Cedric groaned. 'You hurt me, Chang.'

She laughed. 'Truth be told, Diggory…' A faint blush crept up her cheeks. 'Somebody else already asked me before you did.'

'Oh?' That was new to him. 'Who?'

'Well,' she hedged. 'Er, Roger… and Michael… and one of the Weasley twins.'

Cedric was properly shocked.

Cho put her hand under his chin and gently closed his gaping mouth. 'They're nothing compared to the masses of girls who were after you.' And then, recklessly: 'Don't you see, Ced? I'd been saving myself for _you_.'

He reached up to touch her hand, which had come to rest on his cheek. 'Please believe that I'm serious, Cho. I really want to marry you. If you'll let me. Oh, no—please don't cry!'

Cho tried to blink back her tears, but it was too late. Her lips quivered. 'No, I mean—I'm happy, just how happy I'll never be able to tell you… And it's all your doing, Diggory. Yes. Yes, I _will_ marry you.'

Cho's heart hammered in her ears as Cedric took a simple gold band from the cookie and slid it unto her finger. Then, still on their knees, he held her close. 'Merlin… I'm so glad. I love you, Cho.'

'I love you, too.'

And before their kisses deepened still, she whispered, 'And that's Mrs. Diggory to you.'

* * *

A/N: I apologise for the fluff. Ordinarily I stay away from stories that are all marriage, marriage, marriage—but Cedric _is_ the type to propose early on, don't you think?

Oh, and it's been ages since I last read GOF. Please report any lapses to me and I'll take care of things straightaway.

EDITS:

- Took out all that apparating business so Cedric could be his prefect self and follow school rules. Thanks to **whiterose89** for pointing it out!

- Took out Oliver Wood because he left Hogwarts the previous year. Sorry about that! It's the influence of a Cedric/Cho/Oliver fic I read and liked—which, unfortunately, hasn't been updated in more than a year.


	3. Return to the Black Lake

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

**THE HOUSE OF CHANG**

**addictedtoheroine **

**Chapter 3**

_**Return to the Black Lake**_

Nobody knew what to say when it happened.

Not that it mattered, because Cho refused to talk to anyone. Not Marietta, not Roger or Padma. Professor Sprout let her cry in her ample arms, Madam Pomfrey stroked her hair and offered her tea, and Professor Dumbledore simply looked on gravely from a distance… but Cho never uttered a word, never, never.

Not that it mattered, because Cedric was not coming back, never, never.

And the look on Amos Diggory's face, that look of anguish mingled with pure disgust at the Chinese girl who was distracting 'his boy, Ced'—oh, Cho wanted to die right then and there.

_But what if he was right? _If she hadn't taken up Cedric's time like that—would he have been better prepared?

_Stop it. Stop it at once! Dumbledore had said so himself. It was He-Who-Must-Not—It was Voldemort! _Cho corrected herself, shivers running down her spine as she dared say the dark wizard's name for the first time in her life. _Cedric didn't stand a chance._

The thought offered no comfort at all.

The last day of school found Cho at the edge of the Black Lake. Though her eyes blurred with tears, in her mind's eye she could see it all too perfectly, the way it looked on the day of the Second Task. In her mind's eye she saw all of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang anxiously peering out into the glassy depths as the clock ticked away. The crowds erupted in pandemonium when two heads broke the surface.

'_Wh-what j-just happened?' she'd managed to say, her teeth chattering._

'_God, Cho.' Cedric hugged her fiercely. 'This bloody game's gotten out of hand. I'm just glad I got to you in time or else—or else—'_

_Cho screamed as a shark leaped out of the water right next to her._

'_Shh, nothing to worry about,' Cedric said. 'That's just Krum with a shark's head.'_

_Sure enough, the 'shark' had strong, powerful legs and Viktor Krum's head returned to normal within seconds. Beside him, Hermione Granger coughed and sputtered. A momentarily horrified crowd began to cheer all over again._

'_For heaven's sake! You mean _this_ is the Second Task?' Dumbledore had rambled on the night before about deep, enchanted sleep… But nevertheless, Cho couldn't even fathom it. First dragons, and now this… What would the Third Task be like?_

_Hands guided Cedric, Cho, Viktor, and Hermione unto the platform. Fleur Delacour was already there, her platinum blonde hair plastered to her forehead and her ice blue eyes darting here and there in fear. A few Beauxbatons girls huddled around her, their faces pale._

_Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue as she attempted to wrap a blanket around Cho, to no avail—Cedric simply wouldn't let her go. 'Oh, all right, the two of you just share one,' she said, finally giving up. She draped the blanket around both their shoulders. 'Well done, Mr. Diggory. Miss Chang here is one lucky girl.'_

'_The clue,' Cedric was saying, 'the clue said "what" I'd miss the most, not "who." And I was so worried when you didn't turn up… I am _not_ letting you out of my sight from now on, little lady. Do you understand?' He took her face in his hands and kissed her right there, unmindful of the wolf whistles and the incessant flashing of Colin Creevey's camera…_

Cho was crying again. She was crying so much the past few days, it was amazing she had any tears left. Every time she managed to calm down, all it took was the slightest provocation to start yet another round.

'This is all just a bad dream,' she whispered into the cool breeze, twisting the ring around her finger. Sometime in the past five minutes she had waded into the lake; the water was lapping around her thighs.

Her voice quavered but grew louder and louder. 'I'll wake up and have breakfast with Cedric… We'll fly a few laps around the Quidditch pitch… He'll sit with me on the train and eat Pumpkin Pasties…'

'He is not _dead_,' she shouted at the top of her lungs. 'Cedric Diggory can't be dead!' Cho dropped to her knees, feeling very sure that she was going mad with grief.

A particularly strong wave lashed out at her, catching her unaware. She choked back a mixture of salty tears and foamy water. Cho tried to get up, but her foot caught on her heavy robes and she tripped headfirst into the water. She gulped in a few more mouthfuls and the world went black.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the hospital wing, surrounded by the crisp white linens and the combined smells of lavender and camphor that she'd become familiar with ever since her fateful first Quidditch game as Ravenclaw seeker. She remembered it well; they'd played Hufflepuff. _Cedric. _Her eyes blurred with tears. She would never fly with him again.

'You gave us a fright there, Miss Chang,' Madam Pomfrey said quietly, handing her a cup of ginger tea. 'Hagrid found you and brought you here. You've missed the train, love.'

'I'm sorry,' she said in a small voice. 'I'll look for Hagrid later and thank him.'

'Well, you should take care not to have any more accidents like that.' Madam Pomfrey sat on the edge of the bed and watched Cho sip the tea, both hands wrapped around the cup for warmth. 'How old are you, dear?'

'Sixteen,' Cho said. It was a strange question to ask, she thought.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. 'Have you given any thought to what you'd like to do after you leave Hogwarts?'

'I, well, I've always wanted to be a Healer,' she answered. 'But with—with what happened, I sometimes think I want to be an Auror instead.'

She nodded again. 'Cho—there's no easy way to tell you this—'

Cho put away her tea and sat up straighter, suddenly alarmed. 'Tell me what?'

'When Hagrid brought you here, I had to examine you with a See Through spell,' Madam Pomfrey explained. 'I didn't find any broken bones, not to worry. But I did find something else.'

Madam Pomfrey took Cho's hands in hers, stroking Cedric's ring with her thumb in silence. Understanding suddenly dawned on Cho and she gasped just as the kindly woman spoke.

'Cho, you're pregnant.'

* * *

A/Ns:

1. Yes, this is my little way of letting Cedric live on after all. Not something you'd expect from cerebral Cho and conscientious Ced, eh? (Love _does _do things to you. I'll explain how it happened later.) All things considered,"The Contract" by ladyjadeite is still my hands-down favourite Cho/Cedric AU story, and practically canon in my book. 

2. Again, please bear in mind it's been ages since I last read GOF. Please report any lapses to me and I'll take care of things straightaway.

3. The next chappie might take a while, but I've got most of the story pretty much organised in my head so I'm aiming to update at least once a week.


	4. Clan Or No Clan

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

WARNING: This instalment gets rather steamy!

* * *

**THE HOUSE OF CHANG**

** addictedtoheroine **

**Chapter 4**

_**Clan Or No Clan**_

_Oh, it had all been too much, even for Cho. The days following Cedric's proposal rushed past in a blur of heady, all-consuming passion. Of course, they always carried themselves with the utmost decorum in front of the teachers and their friends and (heavens) even _Filch_, but every empty corridor was an opportunity neither Cho nor Cedric could ever pass up..._

Cho's father slapped her. Hard.

Ming Chang pointed at her with a trembling finger. 'A disgrace!' he hissed. 'You have put our clan to shame. I should have sent you to wizarding school in Singapore—maybe there you'd have been taught more discipline.'

_Cedric's hand found its way under her robes, tentatively brushing the silky skin of her waist. Cho made a small noise. Cedric, his lips at her throat, felt it and smiled._

Her mother wouldn't stop crying. 'My baby, my baby,' Li Chang kept saying. 'Aye ya, not even a proper Chinese boy!'

_'What is this place?' Cho said in awe. It seemed to her that Cedric, simply by pacing in a corridor, had caused a room to appear out of mid-air._

_'I found it while I was on prefect duty,' Cedric explained. 'It's a room that becomes anything you want it to be.'_

_'Is that so?' she said coyly. 'What do you want it to be right now?'_

_Cedric scooped her up in his arms. 'A place for_—_shall we say_—_Advanced Studies,' he replied with an impish grin._

_Peals of Cho's laughter bounced off the walls as Barnabas the Barmy looked on._

Mrs. Chang dabbed at her eyes with a silk kerchief and put her hand on Cho's knee. 'There, there, sweetie,' she consoled Cho, who for the first time since Cedric's death was perfectly composed and dry-eyed. 'There's always a way. You're only one month along—we can still get rid of it.'

_Cho had Cedric pinned down on the soft white bed and was taking off his tie... _Get rid of it?

She jumped to her feet. 'What do you mean, get rid of it?' Cho cried out. 'This is Cedric's child!'

Ming Chang's nostrils flared. 'Yes, and you are getting rid of it, young lady. And preserve the honour of the clan.'

'No, I am not!' Cho could scarcely believe it was her voice she was hearing, so clear, steady, and strong. 'The man I love was murdered and this is the only memory I have of him left. This is my body, and I'm carrying Cedric's child. I am keeping this baby. Clan or no clan!'

'Fine!' her father shouted. 'Out! Out of my house! Ungrateful girl! As far as I'm concerned, you are no longer part of the house of Chang!'

Mrs. Chang's delicate face went white. 'No... Ming, no—'

But it was too late. Cho had already stormed out of the door.

'Cho? What in the world?' Marietta exclaimed upon finding her friend on her doorstep. 'What are you doing here? And why didn't you send an owl?'

Cho hurriedly wiped her tears on the back of her hand. 'Um, I guess I didn't have time. I'm sorry for showing up unannounced like this—'

'No, don't apologise,' Marietta said, ushering her inside. 'I was just going to open a butterbeer. Would you like one?'

An ice-cold butterbeer on this blistering day... Cho was sorely tempted. 'Er, I better not,' she said lamely, pulling her trunk behind her. 'But thank you.'

Marietta gestured at a divan completely upholstered in blue and bronze plaid. 'Sit while I pour you some tea.'

The patterns danced in front of Cho's eyes. She felt bile rise to her throat, and it took all her willpower not to vomit on the Edgecombes' divan. She sank down on it and tried not to look around. She was going to have problems next term if she couldn't even look at Ravenclaw colours properly. A sudden thought occurred to her: Could she even go back to Hogwarts next term?

Cho accepted a cup of tea gratefully; sipping it made her nausea go away.

Marietta watched her carefully. 'All right, Chang, what is this about?'

At that very moment, Mrs. Edgecombe apparated into the room, wearing a polka-dotted house-dress in violent purple and orange. 'Marietta! You didn't tell me you had a guest!'

Cho promptly threw up.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for your reviews, do keep them coming! I've always wanted to dig deeper into why Cho came to Marietta's defence after the whole SNEAK episode, and I suppose this chapter is my first step in that direction.


	5. Aunt Hong

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

**THE HOUSE OF CHANG**

** addictedtoheroine **

**Chapter 5**

_**Aunt Hong**_

Try as she might, Cho couldn't drown out the sound of Marietta having a blazing row with her mother downstairs. After they'd cleaned up the mess—Cho feebly tried to help, but kept getting sick at the sight of those polka dots—Mrs. Edgecombe had, her mouth set in a thin line, ushered Cho into Marietta's room, closed the door, and proceeded to shout at her daughter once back downstairs.

'Sixteen and pregnant! I am very disappointed in the company you keep, Marietta. You'd think a Ravenclaw would be smarter than that!'

'Please don't be hard on Cho, Mum. They were engaged.'

A snort. 'Child, being engaged at sixteen doesn't mean a thing! And why aren't they engaged anymore, hmm? Skipped town, the boy has, I'd bet.'

'Mum!' Marietta sounded outraged. 'Cho was engaged to Cedric Diggory. The boy who _died _in the tournament.'

Silence. Then: 'Well, you shouldn't be friends with little girls foolish enough to get themselves pregnant!'

Cho decided not to listen any more after that.

She sat down at Marietta's desk and unrolled a piece of parchment. It was time she finally got around to writing to her aunt Hong. _The Daily Prophet _might have ignored Cedric's death, but other papers didn't, and Aunt Hong had sent Cho an owl as soon as she'd found out. Just a few months ago, Cho had filled entire rolls of parchment telling her favourite aunt about how Cedric had asked her to the Yule Ball, and how they'd become a couple after that... However, she didn't know about the engagement. Cho had been too caught up in Cedric, helping Cedric prepare for the tournament, and Cedric helping her revise for her O.W.L.s to do any more writing.

And then Cedric died, and Cho locked herself away from the rest of the world.

Until today.

Hong Chang was nothing like her older brother Ming, who was one of the few humans at Gringotts. Aunt Hong wrote for a wizarding travel magazine and was never in the same town for more than a week at a time. Tall, with striking cheekbones and copper streaks dancing in her short hair, Aunt Hong was the only Chang who shared Cho's love for Quidditch. When Cho was six years old, Aunt Hong had introduced Cho to her boyfriend at the time, a Chaser for the Tutshill Tornadoes—an event that, Cho supposed, led to her lifelong devotion to the Tornadoes. Not that her devotion ever did the Tornadoes any good, but Cho supported them no matter what. Cedric had found it endearing.

_My aunt_, she wrote. Aunt Hong's only concession to tradition, as far as Cho knew, was that she would only correspond with Cho in Chinese. Cho supposed it was her way of forcing her niece to practise calligraphy.

_Forgive me for not writing sooner. It used to be that I couldn't go two seconds without crying over Cedric. Even now it hurts to write his name. _

_I am able to write to you now, not because I am stronger or because I am over him, for I doubt I ever will be… But just yesterday, I discovered something about myself, something worth not being sad for._

_Auntie, I'm a month pregnant with Cedric's child. Please do not think that I am wanton. Cedric asked me in February to marry him and I said yes. Before we did anything, I even tried brewing myself some Baby Barrier potion, but I took it before it had a chance to age properly, so it didn't work. If only they'd made these things into pills or something!_

_I've already told Mum and Dad, and they wanted me to get rid of the baby. Naturally, I refused. Cedric was a kind and gentle boy, and he would have made the best father in the world. I know that he would have wanted me to keep our baby._

_I haven't worked up the courage to tell his parents yet. His father, in particular, is very upset with me and thinks Cedric would still be alive if I hadn't been such a distraction to him._

_I hope you can visit me soon. Dad threw me out of the house and with him and Mum carrying on like that, I'm in no hurry to ask them to take me back in. I am writing this at the house of my good friend, Marietta Edgecombe, from Ravenclaw. I'm not sure how long I will be staying here (her mother, who works for the ministry, doesn't seem too pleased), but I'll send you another owl if I am to go someplace else. I still want to go to Hogwarts next term, but I'm not entirely sure if it's possible._

_I miss you and hope you are doing well. Write back soon!_

_Love, _

_Cho_

Xiao Xiao, Cho's owl, had just taken flight when Marietta came in and flopped onto the bed face down.

Cho touched her friend tentatively on the shoulder. 'I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. I can go stay at the Leaky Cauldron or something. I'll be all right. I have money.' Which was true—Aunt Hong had been sending her money from all over the world for years, and Cho had virtuously saved all of it. Well, she _did _treat herself to a Nimbus 2000 when she made the Ravenclaw team in her third year, but by then it had already been marked down a great deal due to the newer models coming out.

Marietta flipped over, her curly hair all over the pillow. 'Are you daft, Chang? You're staying here. I didn't have that row with my mum for nothing,' she declared.

Cho threw her arms around Marietta. 'Thank you! Thank you so much. I can help with the housework, you know—I won't just lie around getting fat.'

Marietta chuckled, sitting up to return Cho's embrace. 'Our house elf would never let you take over his job. Territorial buggers, the lot of 'em. And besides, Cho Chang, _fat_? I imagine you'll just grow a tiny tummy and that would be it. I reckon you'd just go and lay an egg.'

Cho sat back on her heels and swatted Marietta's arm. 'Shush. My baby is going to be perfectly healthy and strong, just like Cedric.'

'I hope your baby gets Cedric's height as well, because you are SHORT!' Marietta hooted.

Cho waved a fist at her, her eyes round with mock anger.

Marietta fluffed up a pillow and put it on her lap. 'But seriously, Cho. What are you going to do? Can you even go back to school in your condition?'

Cho sighed. 'I was thinking the same thing. My plan is to write Professor Dumbledore and let him decide. It was Madam Pomfrey who diagnosed me; he could ask her opinion. I really want to go back to Hogwarts. By my calculations, I can squeeze in three or four months of school before it gets too difficult for me to move around.'

'Won't your belly show?'

'People would eventually find out, so I don't really care if it shows or not. But if I had to hide it, I suppose I could ask Professor McGonagall for transfiguration tips.'

Marietta nodded. 'And after the baby is born?'

Cho bit her lip. 'I haven't thought that far into the future yet. I wrote my aunt just now, maybe she'll know what to do. All I know is that I love this child and I'll do anything to make sure things turn out all right for my baby.' She felt a slight tremor go through her as she said that, suddenly remembering the story of Lily Potter giving up her life to save Harry's. She touched her belly. _I'm going to protect you no matter what_, she vowed.

Marietta nodded again. Then she smiled. 'You know, Cho, I don't really approve of what you've gone and gotten yourself into. But standing up for your baby like you did today… I would never be able to do that, not in a million years. I'm proud of you. You're going to be a brilliant mum. I just know it.'

Tears welled up in Cho's eyes, and at first she was too choked up to speak. 'That means so much to me, and coming from you, too!' she finally managed to say.

'What do you mean, coming from me?' Marietta said indignantly.

'I mean, compared to all the other girls in our house—you're very difficult to please, you know,' Cho explained. 'You don't go and giggle at every single thing.'

Marietta laughed. 'Well, thank you, Chang.'

The doorbell rang and Marietta jumped up from bed. 'Merlin, another unexpected visitor. Wonder who it is this time—I can only take in one pregnant friend per summer,' she joked as she headed downstairs.

Almost as soon as she had left, Marietta's voice called out to her. 'Cho, can you come down here, please?'

Cho ambled down the stairs carefully. 'What is it?'

A long-legged woman in a vinyl trench coat cinched at the waist with a wide belt raised an enormous pair of sunglasses to reveal almond-shaped eyes and a flawless, creamy complexion. She smiled. 'Hello, Cho.'

Cho screamed in delight and launched herself at the beautiful guest. 'Aunt Hong!'

* * *

A/N: I was saving this bit of info for later, but I can't resist—Hong is Chinese for swan. Of course, I got the inspiration from Cho's Patronus

Very pleasantly surprised at the feedback on Marietta's character. Cho is always portrayed as surrounded by a gaggle of giggling girls, but whenever Marietta was in a scene in OoTP, I never got the impression that she was that kind of person. She'll forever be hated for betraying the DA, but I think Cho had good reason to stick up for her (and not just because she was jealous of Hermione!). We'll never know exactly why, of course, but this is just my take on their friendship.

Hope everyone enjoyed this!


	6. Telling Mrs Diggory

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

**THE HOUSE OF CHANG**

** addictedtoheroine **

**Chapter 6**

_**Telling Mrs. Diggory**_

'Aye ya! Are you sure about this, Auntie?'

'If you don't do it now, while I'm here, you'll just keep putting it off.'

'But he hates me!'

'All the more reason for you to show him that you're a strong person and that soon you'll be a good mum to his grandchild.'

She'd been so worried about Cho not writing back, Aunt Hong had explained, that she'd taken two days off to check up on her niece herself. She had just checked into the Leaky Cauldron and was planning to visit the Changs at home when Xiao Xiao showed up.

After the introductions were made, Marietta had wisely left the two of them in the sitting room. Cho cried her way through the story of how she found out she was pregnant, and when she'd finally calmed down, Aunt Hong decided it was time to tell Cedric's parents.

And now they were walking up the cobblestone path to Cedric's house and ringing the bell. Cho's mouth went dry. She'd never been this nervous before—not before a Quidditch match, not before her O.W.L.s, not even when she was eight years old and had just broken Great-Uncle Number Five's most valuable Ming vase.

Mrs. Diggory answered the door, and the lines on her face immediately softened at the sight of Cho. 'Hello, dear. Do come in.'

'Thank you,' Cho said, relief washing over her. 'Mrs. Diggory, I'd like to introduce you to my aunt, Hong Chang.'

Mrs. Diggory took Aunt Hong's hand and shook it. 'A pleasure. Why, you look like you could be Cho's older sister.'

Aunt Hong smiled. 'Thank you. I've often felt that way, too—Cho's an only child, you see.'

Mrs. Diggory smiled back, sadly. 'Ah. So was Cedric.'

Cho swallowed back the lump in her throat.

Mrs. Diggory bustled about, getting tea for the three of them. 'How have you been, dear?' she asked quietly, pouring some into Cho's teacup.

'I—I'm not so sure,' she said honestly. 'Part of me wants to, to stopbeing sad all the time. But part of me thinks that the pain is what, I don't know, it's what _connects _me to his memory. And that if I ever stop hurting… It would be like betraying him.' She blushed. 'I'm sorry if I'm not making sense. And I know that what I feel is nothing compared to—to the feeling of losing a son.'

Mrs. Diggory sat down and clasped Cho's cold, clammy hands. 'You're making perfect sense, love. It's been hard on all of us. It's been hard on Amos and myself—why, today's his first day back at the Ministry, he didn't come in for weeks. But Cedric would want us to be happy. You're young. Being sad all the time is no way to live.'

Cho looked into Mrs. Diggory's clear grey eyes and for one, fleeting moment, fooled herself into thinking she'd been looking into Cedric's eyes again. They were so much alike…

'Shh, child,' Mrs. Diggory said, taking Cho into her arms just as she burst into tears. 'We cannot undo… what has already happened,' she said, her voice trembling. 'We must be strong, and be thankful for what little time we had with Cedric.'

'I am thankful, more than anything,' Cho said softly. 'And… oh, I don't know how to say this… I came here to…'

Mrs. Diggory brushed a tear from the corner of Cho's eye. 'Yes, dear?'

'Cedric left something for you before—before he died,' Cho said, holding on to Mrs. Diggory's hands. 'A grandchild.'

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A/N: Aye ya! So much drama. This is why I love chapters with Marietta in it—I pictured her as having a sort of cynical wit, so I can get away with injecting humour into an otherwise very serious situation. But this part had to be written, so I hope you're not too tired of it yet.

Next: Cho returns to Hogwarts. In the following chapters, expect to encounter Harry, Luna, and Cedric's Pensieve. Yay!


	7. Spots and Stinksap

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

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**THE HOUSE OF CHANG**

**addictedtoheroine **

**Chapter 7**

**_Spots and Stinksap_**

Up until that summer, Cho and Marietta's friendship had been largely founded on their being sorted into Ravenclaw. Although all five of the Ravenclaw girls in their year tended to go as a group everywhere they went, Cho and Marietta often found themselves pairing up in Charms and other classes simply because they were the least—well, _giggly_—of the lot.

Bookworm Marietta had been astonished that none of them had cared half as much about schoolwork as she did; true, Ravenclaws were clever, but the top marks that they always got was due to natural acumen rather than actual work. (Cedric was the only non-Ravenclaw who received all Outstanding marks on his O.W.L.s the previous year. It was quite a shock for the Ravenclaws, as not even Percy Weasley from Gryffindor had managed such a feat in years.) As for Cho, she had marked herself as incurably Quidditch-mad when she, using a potion Aunt Hong had sent all the way from Japan, dyed her then pixieish hair bright blue to show support for the Ravenclaw team in the first match she ever watched at Hogwarts.

So it wasn't until they were on the train back to Hogwarts, fully six years after they'd met for the first time, that Cho discovered the one thing that caused Marietta's no-nonsense demeanor to go completely up in smoke.

'Oh-oh-oh-_oh_!' Marietta wailed, staring at her reflection in the window in disbelief. 'That wasn't there this morning!'

Cho was amazed. 'Marietta, calm down. It's just a spot.'

Marietta whipped her head around. 'Have you ever had spots before, Chang? Look! It's huge and smack in the middle of my forehead! I can't face the first-years like this!'

Cho was biting her lip to keep from grinning. 'Yes, but it's not like you're turning into Eloise Midgen, who is incidentally looking loads better this year, by the way.'

Terry Boot, a fifth-year Ravenclaw, poked his head in. 'Er, sorry to bother you two… Everywhere else is full.'

Marietta waved them inside impatiently. Terry and his friends, Anthony Goldstein and Michael Corner, stepped inside cautiously, casting furtive looks at the usually-unflappable Edgecombe and her friend, whom most of Hogwarts already thought of as the Widow Diggory even if nobody else had known about the engagement. 'Yes, yes, if you must. I'm off to the prefects' compartment anyway. Just don't bother Cho.' She glared menacingly at them.

'I'll be fine, Marietta, go on,' Cho told her.

Anthony finished stowing his trunk away and straightened up to face Marietta. 'Hold on, I'll go with you. If it's okay, of course,' he hastened to add, seeing Marietta's stern face. 'I got the letter this year.'

Marietta nodded grudgingly and off they went, leaving Cho, Terry, and Michael in uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Terry cleared his throat. 'So… Are Ravenclaw's chances at Quidditch good this year, Cho?'

'Um, I hope so,' Cho replied. 'I'll just be watching this year.'

His eyebrows shot up. 'You're not playing?'

'No. Um,' Cho hedged, 'Maybe next year. I've been tired a lot lately. Um.'

'That's a shame,' Michael said earnestly. 'You're a really good Seeker.'

'Thanks.' And, before she could stop herself, 'I was never half as good as Cedric, of course.'

Terry and Michael suddenly looked very interested in their shoes.

Xiao Xiao, in her cage, offered a halfhearted squawk.

Cho got up quickly. 'Um, I'll just go look for the sweets trolley now. I'll be back soon.'

The boys looked up and nodded vigorously, obviously relieved.

Cho stepped out of the compartment and let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Her hand automatically went to her belly, as if to reassure herself her baby was still there. She was already three months pregnant, but her appearance had yet to change.

She wasn't sure which way to go until she spotted two figures in the distance, one very gangly redhead and another with a head of extraordinarily bushy brown hair, walking towards the prefects' compartment. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger! There was no doubt, then, that Harry was nearby. Harry Potter, the last person at Hogwarts to see Cedric alive. Cho's pulse quickened as she began to walk in the opposite direction. She hardly believed herself capable of perking up the courage to start asking Harry about Cedric, but it was worth a try…

'Harry? I saw him go there'—Padma pointed out a compartment a few metres away—'With Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom. Oh, would you know if Marietta's gone to the prefects' compartment yet?'

'Yes, she went there a few minutes ago,' Cho said. 'Thanks, Padma.'

'Don't mention it.' Padma smiled and opened her mouth, as if to say something else, then decided against it. She settled on squeezing Cho's arm instead. 'It's good to see you again, Cho.'

Cho tried to walk as casually as she could to the compartment Padma had pointed out. She could hear Neville's voice from inside. _Right, then. Carpe diem. _Cho took a deep breath and slid the door open—

—And instantly regretted it. The compartment was covered in foul-smelling dark green slime. Well, it wasn't _completely _covered in slime. Luna Lovegood, the fourth-year Ravenclaw who was so peculiar that Cho felt a motherly attachment to her (at least Luna had never dyed her hair blue for Quidditch), had escaped with her face unscathed. So did Ginny Weasley, Michael's new girlfriend, who was getting prettier every year. The slime looked like it came from the odd little potted cactus Neville had in his hand, so he wasn't in the line of fire. But Harry was completely plastered in it. And the way he was sitting perfectly still, clutching a toad in his hands, reminded Cho of victims of sudden, violent volcanic eruptions, permanently frozen in their tracks at the moment of their death.

'Oh… Hello, Harry. Um… bad time?' _Surely you can think of better things to say than that!_

'Oh… hi,' Harry said blankly.

'Um…' Cho's voice trailed off. 'Well… just thought I'd say hello… bye then.'

_And that is officially the stupidest conversation in the history of the wizarding world._

* * *

A/N: Finally, a new chapter. I hope you liked it!

Thank you so much for supporting my fic and leaving me gentle reminders to keep it going. I'm feeling better now and in a more suitable condition to update regularly. I also had a brainwave some weeks ago for another fic, so I'm looking forward to starting on that when this one is finished. (Of course, considering my story outline for _The House of Chang _goes all the way up to Chapter 18, it's going to take a while.)

Much love to you all. 


	8. BacktoSchool Blues

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

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THE HOUSE OF CHANG

**addictedtoheroine  
**

**Chapter 8**

**_Back-to-School Blues_**

It started in the pit of her stomach, like she had swallowed a small lump of ice and snow.

But it grew and it grew, outward in all directions, a sinister chill closing its icy fingers around her heart.

Once upon a time, Hogwarts castle had been a source of strength for Cho, symbolising everything that meant something to her. Quidditch. Learning. Freedom. Cedric. But now… There were too many memories, too many ghosts of times past, of a love she had been so sure would always be there…

The great stone walls of Hogwarts, the same walls that had protected Cho from the outside world for six years, were now closing in on her. Suffocating her. Paralysing her. She couldn't, truly couldn't, breathe. The tears she'd been holding back all summer threatened to burn through her eyelids.

A hand on her shoulder. Marietta. 'The baby, Cho. Think of your baby. Be strong for your baby.'

Cho bit her lip and nodded. They made their way to the dormitory in silence, wheeling their trunks behind them.

Cho knew they were looking at her. Everyone. Roger, Terry, Anthony, Michael—even the group of loudly chattering second-years that Padma shushed the moment she and Marietta entered the Ravenclaw common room. A newly Stinksap-free Luna cocked her head at an angle and looked at Cho curiously, but didn't say anything.

After unpacking her clothes and books, even the Nimbus she wouldn't be able to use for Quidditch until Merlin knew when, Cho sat on her bed with a stone basin on her lap. Mrs. Diggory had given it to her when she found out about the baby. It was Professor Sprout's gift to Cedric for being chosen Hogwarts champion; they found it under Cedric's bed in the Hufflepuff dormitory.

'Did Cedric even use that at all, you reckon?' Marietta wondered aloud. Both of them had recognised it from one of the various books they'd read in preparation for their O.W.L.s. Professor Sprout had given Cedric a Pensieve, something wizards and witches used to view memories outside of their own heads.

Cho gave a slight shrug. 'Mrs. Diggory said they found it empty. And if Cedric had stored some of his memories, they would have found the bottles in his dormitory.' She sighed. 'Oh, Marietta. I would give so much to know what he'd been thinking. Especially when… right before… on _that _day.'

Marietta sat down on Cho's bed and put an arm around her shoulder. It was all Cho needed to start crying again. 'Now, now, Cho. The Pensieve wouldn't be able to tell you that, seeing as he didn't have an opportunity to store that particular memory. Besides, you were the one who knew him best. You already know what Cedric was thinking! He was thinking of _you_. Of winning the Cup and making you and his family—Hufflepuff House and all of Hogwarts, too—proud. Of finally being done with the blasted tournament and going back to snogging you in peace.' She shuddered. 'I can't believe I said that.'

'Anyway,' she continued. 'He was thinking of you, Chang. I'm sure of it. And probably the baby, too. Oh, I bet that git knew what he'd done! His last thought was probably something like, "Shit! Not when there's a baby on the way! _Nooo_—!"' She pretended to fall off the edge of the bed.

Cho hiccoughed back a giggle. 'Marietta! That's the silliest thing I've ever heard.'

Marietta picked herself up from the floor and gave Cho a hug. 'Then my work here is done.'

* * *

Despite Marietta's insistence that she didn't _need _to know what Cedric's last thoughts were, Cho was still dead set on finding out. And her next opportunity came one damp morning, when she caught a glimpse of Harry with Ron and Hermione in the yard under a heavily dripping balcony. She called out his name. 

Harry looked up, startled. No, more than startled; he looked like deer caught in headlights.

Cho suddenly felt very self-conscious. Her mind raced for something to say and latched on to what happened at their last encounter. 'You got that stuff off, then?'

'Yeah,' Harry said with a grimace. 'So, did you… er… have a good summer?'

Something tightened in her chest, but she managed to reply. 'Oh, it was all right, you know…'

'Is that a Tornados badge?' Ron interrupted, pointing an accusing finger at the front of Cho's robes. 'You don't support them, do you?'

It was as if he'd slapped her. Or doused her with a bucked of cold water. 'Yeah, I do,' she answered. _Cedric gave me this badge, you prat!_

What Ron said next made her blood boil. 'Have you always supported them, or just since they started winning the league?' he demanded.

'I've supported them since I was six,' Cho said coolly, trying not to raise an eyebrow too high. 'Anyway… see you, Harry.'

Cho had waited ten long years for her Quidditch team to start winning. It was bad enough that when they finally did, they were accused of blackmailing their way to the top of the league. But to have other students accuse her of jumping on a stupid bandwagon when she had been a loyal supporter almost all her life... _Just you wait, Weasley! I'll sic Aunt Hong on you! _Cho spun on her heels and strode off, her head held high.

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**A/Ns:** YOU GUYS ROCK. Thank you for being patient with me! I hope you liked this chapter.

I really like writing about Cho's love for Quidditch, something I hope will at least be mentioned in the fifth movie. Granted, Cho is the prettiest girl at school (or at least, that's how Robert Pattinson described her in one of his _Goblet of Fire _interviews), but the fact that she's a Ravenclaw means there's more to her than her looks. I think one other reason why so many boys are after her is that she knows her Quidditch—and is a damn good Seeker, too! She may be a tad too emotional, but aside from that she's not a giggly girly girl like Lavender and Parvati are. In different circumstances, I'm quite sure she would have got on with Ron and Hermione quite well. (Okay, I'm biased.)

Speaking of the fifth movie, weeks ago I saw a photo of the DA courtesy of a link on MuggleNet and there was no girl with reddish-blonde curls in sight. It's possible Marietta's just not in the photo, but I have a feeling she's not in the movie at all. I mean, they already confirmed that the 'Weasley is Our King' subplot won't be in it, and they've skipped loads of important scenes and subplots in the past. In the last movie they got Neville to give Harry gillyweed just so they wouldn't have to animate Dobby (which turned out rather well in my opinion, but then again I'm a Neville fan). I just hope my suspicions will be proven wrong.


	9. Theory and Practice

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

**The House of Chang**

** addicted to heroine **

**Chapter 9**

_**Theory and Practice**_

Within a week of returning to Hogwarts, Cho was almost wishing she hadn't gone back to school. Dumbledore's parting words at the end of last year, revealing the true nature of Cedric's death and calling on Durmstrang and Beauxbatons to stand with them against—against _Voldemort_, had led her to believe that there would be more emphasis on defensive magic this year. Cho imagined the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher would be someone like Professor Lupin from fourth year, or even Mad-Eye Moody. Someone who knew what the wizarding world was up against. Someone who could prepare them for the battles ahead.

Nothing could have prepared _her _for Dolores Umbridge. As it turned out, even bumbling Professor Quirrell from second year was a vast improvement over this new teacher, she who dressed herself head to toe in frothy pink and refused to teach anything of relevance, let alone significance. Everyone from the first-years to the seventh-years was assigned _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard. The book was not so much dull as it was completely ridiculous: Slinkhard seemed bent on discrediting the entire Defence idea altogether. It might as well have been written by Umbridge herself.

And if Umbridge's pontificating inside the classroom hadn't been enough, Cho had to deal with her outside of class as well. Umbridge knew Marietta's mother from the Ministry, and as a result had a habit of stopping Marietta in the corridors for a small chat. As Cho was more often than not with Marietta, she had to endure this too. Cho was not generally one to have a deep dislike for a teacher, but it took every bit of her willpower not to throw _Defensive Magical Theory_ at Umbridge's eerily toad-like face.

'Honestly, I wish she'd shove off,' Cho exclaimed in the Ravenclaw common room after one such episode. 'If she likes your mum so much, she should go bother her instead of us.'

Marietta sighed wearily, sinking down on a chair next to Padma. 'Your complaining won't make her go away. Just nod and smile. She's bound to get tired of talking to me once she gets caught up in teaching.'

Cho waved _Defensive Magical Theory _in her face. 'How can anybody possibly get caught up in teaching _this_? Even the first-years think it's nonsense.'

'Whatever you might think of Umbridge, she's the one giving the marks,' Marietta pointed out. 'Nobody likes History of Magic—not the way Binns teaches it anyways—but we all have to take it.'

'Binns has the misfortune of being utterly dull, but even a ghost like him has a better grasp of reality than Umbridge,' Cho griped. 'Besides, you can stop taking History of Magic after careers consultation in fifth year. Most professions require N.E.W.T.s in Defence Against the Dark Arts. How you can achieve that just by reading Slinkhard, I haven't got the slightest idea.'

Marietta shrugged. 'Defence teachers change every year. Maybe the one we get next year will make up for Umbridge.'

Cho was about to open her mouth and say, 'Next _year_?' when Padma cleared her throat almost apologetically. Having thus gotten their attention, Padma leaned forwards in her seat. 'We might not have to wait at all.'

Marietta moaned all the way to the Hog's Head, a few paces behind the Patil twins. 'If my mother finds out about this, Cho, I am dead. Dead and buried.'

'Relax,' Cho whispered. 'You're already friends with a little girl foolish enough to get herself pregnant. I doubt there's anything more you can do to upset her.'

'She's given me explicit orders to avoid Harry Potter at all costs,' Marietta hissed. 'I'm pretty sure that includes any meetings he's holding to start a secret club.'

But as Hogwarts student after Hogwarts student filled the pub, it became clear that things were not as secret as they thought it would be. Cho recognised the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, and some from the Hufflepuff team as well. Besides herself, Marietta, and Padma, there were three other Ravenclaws: Terry, Michael, and Anthony from the train. Twenty-eight students in all, including Harry, Ron the Tornadoes-hater, and Hermione.

Fred Weasley walked up to the bar and ordered Butterbeers for everyone. The barman (who looked oddly like Dumbledore, Cho thought) started sulkily handing out dusty bottles.

'I'll pay for yours,' she whispered to Marietta.

'What are you going to drink?' Marietta mouthed as she accepted a bottle from Padma.

'I'll be fine,' she mouthed back. She _was _a bit parched, but she doubted the barman had any pumpkin juice under the counter.

Hermione had started to speak. 'Well... erm... well, you know why you're here. Erm...'

'Yes, to engage in activities that would eventually have us expelled,' Marietta muttered under her breath. Cho swatted her arm.

'What? It's true.'

'Shush. Besides, half the people here are prefects. We're not just a renegade bunch.'

Cho tried to concentrate, but it was easier said than done. Besides Marietta's mumbling, there was also Luna's constant glances in her direction. Not to mention that every time she looked at Hermione, she couldn't help but think about all the times she'd seen her in the library. Hermione was there almost every day, and once upon a time, so had Cho and Cedric...

'Harry here had the idea—I mean, I had the idea,' Hermione corrected herself hurriedly, glancing furtively at Harry, 'that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts—and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us—because nobody could call that Defence Against the Dark Arts—Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands... And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just in theory but doing the real spells—'

Michael piped up. 'You want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too, though, I bet?' Hermione _did _have a reputation for being obsessed with her studies. She was, Cho heard, worse than Marietta.

'Of course I do,' Hermione replied. 'But more than that, I want to be properly trained in defence because... because... because Lord Voldemort is back.'

* * *

'You have got to be bloody suicidal,' Marietta said sourly as they trudged out of the Hog's Head.

'I didn't tell you to put your name on that list,' Cho said.

'What choice did I have? Someone's got to look out for you. You can't raise a baby in Azkaban, for crying out loud.'

'What on earth—whoever said anything about Azkaban?'

'I did, just now! And what was all that goggling at Harry Potter all about, hmm?'

Cho's jaw dropped. '_Goggling_?'

'That's right! You looked like a lovesick little puppy,' Marietta said angrily, rubbing the stain on her sweater. She'd spilled Butterbeer all over herself at the mention of Lord Voldemort. 'I seem to recall you telling me about an incident at the owlery a few days ago, too! What, dating one Triwizard Champion isn't enough for you? Now that Cedric's gone, you go after Harry?'

Cho couldn't believe her ears. 'How dare you—how can you even say that? I am not going after Harry Potter! Is it so bad to want to talk to the last person to see Cedric alive?'

'Harry's not going to say a word about Cedric, he made that clear today. What good will talking to him be, then?'

Tears spilled from Cho's eyes. 'Because Harry's the only one who can understand how I feel! Harry saw Cedric die. He _lost_ his parents to—to Voldemort!' Marietta stifled a gasp. 'That's right, I said his name! Because I can't be afraid any longer! And if I have to beg Harry Potter to teach me how to not be afraid, I will!'

'Lovely!' Marietta yelled. 'Now you're saying _I_ don't understand?'

Cho's shoulders sagged. 'Of course not. You're my friend. And you've done—you've done so much to help me. I can't be more grateful. But I need to talk to someone who's been there. Please don't think badly of me for it. I... I just need to talk to Harry.'

Marietta said nothing. She stared stonily ahead.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm alive! Hope everyone likes the new chapters. Of course by now it's been confirmed that there is no Marietta in the _Order of the Phoenix_ movie. I'll stop myself right now lest I spoil it for those of you who haven't read the previews online. Much love to you all xxx 


	10. The Room of Requirement

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

**The House of Chang**

** addicted to heroine **

**Chapter 10**

_**The Room of Requirement**_

The icy state of affairs between Cho and Marietta thawed out, so to speak, in time for the first official meeting of Harry Potter's group. There was no definitive moment that Cho could pinpoint as the moment they started to be on good terms again. In fact, it seemed that as far as Marietta was concerned, the argument had never happened. Cho was quite happy to agree with her.

So off they went with the Patil twins in search of what was supposed to be their new group headquarters. 'How is Potter sure that we're safe from Filch there, wherever it is?' Marietta wanted to know as she and Cho trailed behind Padma and Parvati.

'I don't know, but I wouldn't worry,' Parvati replied as they went up the stairs to the seventh floor. 'Harry's gotten out of bigger scrapes before, and if there's anyone who knows how to hide from Filch, it's Fred and George Weasley.'

Cho's pulse quickened with every step she took. She had a feeling where the meeting was going to be held, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to go back _there_...

'I must say,' Marietta said grudgingly, 'Potter's done quite well with this headquarters thing.'

'_I found it while I was on prefect duty,_'_ Cedric had explained. _'_It's a room that becomes anything you want it to be._'

The last time Cho was here—she felt her heart rise to her throat—it was a bedroom, furnished in white silk and brocade. Candles cast a warm yellow glow on the four-poster bed and scented the air with vanilla. There was even a small bathroom of white marble off to one side, a miniature version of the prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor which Cedric had also sneaked her into on many an occasion.

They were here for hours at a time, often spending the night. She touched her belly. _Remember this place, baby? It looks nothing like it used to, doesn't it?_

Now it was an enormous room, filled with wooden shelves that strained under the weight of the books on them. Marietta immediately gravitated towards them. There were torches instead of candles. The Patil twins settled themselves on the large silk cushions that were strewn on the floor. Several boys crowded around ominous-looking instruments at the far end of the room.

Harry spoke. His voice wavered in places, and he had to clear his throat several times. 'Well... this is the place we've found for practice sessions, and you've—er—obviously found it OK.'

'It's fantastic,' Cho found herself saying.

'It's bizarre,' said Fred. 'We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then.'

_A broom cupboard._ Cho let her eyes wander around. So _everything_ about this room changed according to what one wanted or needed. Dimensions, lighting, even the plumbing—they were all variable. Cho doubted Harry had an intimate enough understanding of those things to specify what he needed, exactly. So. A person thought of something and magic worked on the details.

Her gaze fell on the large, leather-bound tomes on the shelves. Brainy as Hermione Granger was, she couldn't have dreamed up all these books. They were books that already existed, full of information that their authors—not Hermione—put in them. _Hmm._

Something was hovering on the edge of Cho's subconscious, trying to tell her something. But she couldn't figure out what it was...

* * *

They began calling themselves Dumbledore's Army (courtesy of Ginny Weasley), or the DA for short. Hermione won everyone's admiration with her idea of putting a Protean Charm on fake Galleons as a means of communicating the next meeting's details to the members. The DA met once a week, twice whenever they could manage it, to practise curses, jinxes, charms, and other spells in the Room of Requirement.

Marietta would never admit it, but as the weeks passed Cho began to suspect that her friend was getting quite fond of the meetings. True, Marietta had a tendency to shoot Harry down with an icy glare every time he ventured near them, and she was still moaning about what her mother would think, but every now and then she looked as if she were actually enjoying herself.

Cho, on the other hand, couldn't bring herself to enjoy them as much as she knew she would in other circumstances. Her condition meant that she had to perform her spells very carefully. Marietta understood her situation and was especially cautious whenever they were practising Stunning, but it was always frustrating to Cho that she couldn't throw herself into the DA meetings the way she wanted to.

It was the end of November now, and Cho approached the sixth month of her pregnancy. Although Professor McGonagall had very kindly taught her how to conceal her belly, Cho knew she couldn't stay at Hogwarts any longer. Her baby was starting to get restless and had taken to kicking her in the middle of the night, making it almost impossible for her to get a good night's sleep. Her regular checkups with Madam Pomfrey had revealed that she was carrying a boy.

On the second of December, Xiao Xiao swooped in through her dormitory windowsill with a letter from Aunt Hong. _Given how far along you are, I don't think it's a good idea for you to return to Hogwarts after Christmas vacation, _Aunt Hong wrote_. I've made arrangements with Dumbledore and Flitwick for you to take the rest of the year off. You'll have to take summer classes come July to make up for all the time you've missed, but they're confident that you will have no trouble catching up. In the meantime, you can stay at my flat in Brighton. _

Cho rolled up the parchment and sat for a while on the edge of her bed, looking around at the blue and gold of her dormitory as the weight of Aunt Hong's words started to sink in.

She'd already given up at least a year of Quidditch for this baby; now she was about to give up at least six months of classes. Cho felt an acute longing for years past, when she was nothing but a Quidditch-mad first-year with bright blue hair. Just a normal teenager content to giggle in the halls with her friends, someone who had no worries save for exams. Someone whose father hadn't kicked her out of her home and banished her from the clan.

The thought came unbidden, and so suddenly that it made her her heart constrict within her chest. A split second later she was full of self-loathing and crying harder than she ever had since she'd returned to Hogwarts. She clapped her hand against her mouth to stifle a wail, but still the unforgivable thought was there, seared across her mind:

_I wish I'd never met Cedric Diggory._


	11. Mistletoe

DISCLAIMER: The _Harry Potter _universe belongs to Jo Rowling… and she can do anything with the characters as she pleases… /teary-eyed/

AU. Spans GOF and OoTP. Best for incurable Cho/Cedric shippers above 13.

* * *

* * *

**The House of Chang**

** addicted to heroine **

**Chapter 11**

_**Mistletoe**_

'Hurry up, Cho, we've got loads of packing to do,' Marietta said, tapping her foor impatiently.

The final DA meeting before Christmas break had just finished, and Cho couldn't move. In fact, she felt rooted to the spot. When was the next time she would be in the Room of Requirement? Or, for that matter, Hogwarts?

Out of the corner of her eye, Cho saw Harry busy putting away the cushions with Ron and Hermione. She licked her dry lips and cleared her throat. 'No, you go on,' she managed to say hoarsely. 'I'll meet you in the dormitory. I... you know I've gotten really good at packing over the summer.'

Marietta chuckled. 'Well, I suppose.' Her look of amusement, however, was quickly replaced by one of concern. 'Are you all right, though?'

Cho nodded. Ron and Hermione were on their way out the door, arguing over something as usual. Harry wasn't with them. 'Yes, I'm fine,' she lied. 'Go.'

Whether it was her mixed-up hormones due to pregnancy or something else, Cho had no idea, but the tears came as soon as Marietta was out of earshot. _Get a hold of yourself! This is your last chance—ask Harry now!_

But before Cho could compose herself, Harry had finished straightening the cushion pile and had turned to her in all her teary-eyed, red-nosed glory.

'Wha—What's up?' he said awkwardly. Harry always had a way with words, Cho thought to herself ironically.

Cho shook her head and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. 'I'm sorry,' she said in between sniffs. 'I suppose... it's just...'

Oh dear Merlin, what to say? Cho seized the first idea that presented itself. 'Learning all this stuff... it just makes me... wonder whether... if _he'd _known it all... he'd still be alive.'

The innocuous little pronoun sent her into another fit of sobs.

Harry sighed helplessly. 'He _did_ know this stuff,' he said. 'He was really good at it, or he could never have got to the middle of that maze. But if Voldemort really wants to kill you, you don't stand a chance.'

Cho bit her lip. Of _course _she knew Cedric was capable of these things. As caught up as they'd been in each other, she'd spent an entire month helping Cedric prepare for the Third Task. But she couldn't very well tell Harry what this room _really _reminded her of…

'_You_ survived, when you were just a baby,' Cho said softly.

'Yeah, well... I don't know why, nor does anyone else, so it's nothing to be proud of.' Harry was already edging his way towards the door. Cho's heart sank; she was scaring him away!

'Oh, don't go!' she cried. _How desperate could she get?_ 'I'm really sorry to get all upset like this... I didn't mean to... I know it must be horrible for you—me mentioning Cedric, when you saw him die... I suppose you just want to forget about it?'

Harry stared at his shoes.

'But p-please... I've been meaning to ask you for ages... did Cedric—did he... m-m-mention me at all before he died?'

Harry looked up. He sounded as if he were in pain. 'Well—no... There—there wasn't time for him to say anything...'

Her eyes swimming with tears, Cho reached for the nearest bookcase to steady herself as the sobs continued to rack her body. _Cedric didn't say a word. _What, had she expected to hear anything else from Harry? The baby gave her a well-placed kick, as if to chastise her for her stupidity.

'Look,' Harry was saying, 'I don't want to ruin Christmas for either of us. Let's not talk about it. Please?'

But the emotions Cho had kept bottled up the past few months didn't want to be held in, not for a second longer. They came out in a flurry of words and tears, too fast to even register on her brain. 'I thought—I thought _you'd _u-u-understand! I _need _to talk about it! Surely you n-need to talk about it t-too! I mean, you saw it happen, d-didn't you?'

Harry looked startled, even frightened, at her outburst. 'Please, Cho, I really can't. Please—stop crying.' He fished a handkerchief from the pocket of his robes and offered it to her.

What exactly overcame her at that moment, Cho couldn't be certain, but it caused her to throw herself into Harry's arms. She felt his body freeze up in surprise before he started awkwardly patting her on the back as she sobbed on his shoulder.

Cho raised her head to look at him through her tears, her lower lip quivering. Harry was nowhere as tall as Cedric, but they had some things in common... Rumpled hair, a strong jaw... And Harry was nothing if not completely brave...

Mistletoe. They were standing under mistletoe.

_You like me, don't you, Harry? You asked me if I wanted to the Yule Ball with you. You look at me all the time. I know you do..._

Before she could stop herself, she was tilting her head upward, touching her lips to his.

'I put my earrings away so they wouldn't fly off and hit Neville again, I'm sure they're around here somewhere...' Luna Lovegood's vague, lilting voice at the door.

It was enough to break the spell. Cho broke away and covered her mouth. 'Oh Merlin... I'm sorry, Harry. I—I made a mistake. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry.'

She scooped up her things and hurried out of the room.

Luna glided past a dazed Harry and picked up a pair of radishes lying on a bookshelf. 'Here they are!' she said brightly. 'Told you I would find them. Happy Christmas, Harry.'

Harry opened his mouth, but no words came. Finally, in a strangled voice, 'Happy Christmas, Luna.'

* * *

'Cho—wait up! Cho!'

Cho couldn't actually run in her state. The baby, as if completely aware of what her mother had just done, wouldn't stop kicking. It didn't take long before Luna caught up with her.

'What, do you want to give me a lecture now, too?' Cho said dully. 'Forget it, I get enough of that from Marietta.'

Luna looked at her curiously. 'No, I just wanted to walk to the dormitory with you.'

'I didn't mean to do it!' Cho burst out. 'I don't know what came over me. I'm just so confused and... oh, you wouldn't understand.'

'Sure I do,' Luna said. 'Lots of people get emotional when they're pregnant.'

Cho drew in her breath sharply. 'How—you can see through the spell?'

'Of course. You're going to pop any minute now, by the looks of it.' Luna put the radishes on her ears. 'I haven't told anyone, if that's what you're worried about. Nobody would believe me even if I did.'

Cho felt light-headed. Luna had known all this time! 'You must think I'm silly, then—snogging Harry when I'm carrying Cedric's child.'

'It's only natural for you to look for a father figure,' Luna told her seriously. 'And Harry is so much like Cedric in some ways.' She paused. 'He's a lot shorter, though.'

Tears spurted from her eyes for what seemed to be the millionth time this evening. 'Do you know, Luna, Cedric never mentioned me before he died? Harry said so.' Cho laughed bitterly, then held up her left hand to show Luna the ring. 'You'd think a boy who was planning to marry me would be so generous as to include me in his last thoughts.'

'I like to think my mother's last thoughts were about doughnuts,' Luna said dreamily. 'Really jammy ones with lots of sugar.'

'I'm sorry.' Normally, that would have made Cho smile. But she could only nod solemnly.

'Don't be. Anyway, Harry only knows what Cedric's last words were. Not his last thoughts.'

Cho stroked her belly, knowing that to anyone else but Luna it would look like she was moving her hand aimlessly in the air. 'It's a boy, you know. I hope he looks just like Cedric. And as clever and kind—and good at Quidditch—' She trembled.

'If Cedric were here, he would say he wanted the baby to be just like you.'

'You think so?'

'Oh, yes. I wouldn't know if he'd mean it, but you know that's what fathers-to-be always say,' Luna said. 'Except maybe Draco Malfoy. Draco wouldn't say it—he wouldn't want his baby to look like anyone else.'

'Well, Cedric always meant what he said, and said what he meant.'

Luna nodded. 'Yes, I suppose he was that kind of boy. Maybe that's why he was sorted into Hufflepuff, too. But it really doesn't matter—your son will be clever and kind and good at Quidditch. If he doesn't get it from Cedric, he'll get it from his mum.' She smiled.

'I wish—I wish I didn't have to talk about Cedric in the past tense!' Cho exclaimed. 'I wish he were still alive, Luna. I wish that more than anything in the world. For me to wake up and find him still alive. For us to raise our son together.' Her voice broke. 'I miss him so much.'

Luna gave her a hug, being careful not to press against Cho's belly. 'My father always says that the only way to catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack is to cover the traps with mint leaves and apricot preserve.'

'What?' Cho hiccoughed and furrowed her brows in confusion. 'Crumple what? That doesn't make sense.'

Luna smiled serenely. 'Most things in life don't.'

* * *

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ah, feels wonderful to finish this update. I've deviated a bit from my original plan for this story because it was moving too slowly; I hope this strategy works better. Formatting still leaves a lot to be desired, of course. I'll put everything up in PDF on my (much-neglected) blog once the story's done. Thanks for your patience!


	12. Perfect Match

_**Chapter 12**_

_**Perfect Match**_

Cho awoke with a start, beads of sweat on her forehead despite the coolness of the winter morning. The idea that had been nagging at her subconscious for weeks finally formed itself clearly in her mind, and she had only a few hours to put it into action.

She eased herself out of bed carefully – no mean feat, considering the size of her belly ­– and noiselessly, so as not to wake Marietta or the others. She put on a coat over her pyjamas and padded out of the girls' dormitory.

Before long, she found herself once again outside the Room of Requirement. She squeezed her eyes shut. _Concentrate,_ she told herself. _I need it to be exactly the way it was when I was here with Cedric for the last time._

Her eyes opened to the sight of a familiar brass doorknob. She didn't dare breathe. _Please let it work…_

Cho turned the knob and, sure enough, the DA headquarters was now a luxurious suite with a four-poster bed in white silk and brocade. There was a lingering scent of vanilla in the air. Yes, the bathroom was there, too – white marble with brass taps, just as she remembered.

Her eyes flew over the room, taking in the details. The bed wasn't made, but it wasn't a complete mess. There was a nightstand on either side of the bed. She immediately recognised the unfortunate vial of Baby Barrier potion on top of her nightstand.

Slowly, as if in a trance, she walked over to the nightstand on Cedric's side of the bed. She pulled out the drawer and found a padded box with _C. Diggory_ carved on the lid. She opened the box and held up one of the vials to the light. Gossamer threads of silver floated within. It was nothing like anything she had ever had to use in Potions, and she hoped against hope that it was what she was looking for.

**oooooooo**

Aunt Hong picked Cho up from Platform Nine and Three Quarters and brought her to the flat in Brighton before hurrying back out for a meeting. 'I'll have to leave you to your own devices for a few hours, I'm afraid,' she said, planting a kiss on the top of Cho's head. 'I'll get pizza for dinner.' With all the travelling that she had to do, Aunt Hong never learned how to cook.

That suited Cho just fine. With the rest of the afternoon to herself, she began to unpack. She started with a small bundle that Colin Creevey had shyly handed to her on the train. 'I wasn't sure if it was proper for me to give you these,' he'd said. 'But I hope you like them. Happy Christmas, Cho.'

They were pictures. Some were ordinary pictures, in which the people moved and changed expressions. The others, taken with a Muggle camera, were like moments frozen in time. Cho found them fascinating.

She and Marietta had pored over them in the train. The first few photographs were of the DA in the Room of Requirement. Some were of Cho, taken throughout the year ­– in the library, in the Great Hall, or even trying to do some last-minute revising outside a classroom. Cho was relieved to see that the concealment spells on her belly worked even in pictures.

Best of all, Colin had given her photographs from last year, as well. Pictures of Cho and Cedric at the Yule Ball. Pictures of them swathed in a towel and kissing on the platform after the Second Task. The two of them walking down corridors ­– either holding hands or with their arms around each other's waists. There was even a photo of them eating dinner in the Great Hall, fingers intertwined underneath the Ravenclaw table. Marietta had groaned at this particular photograph. As for Cho, she had blinked back tears while mentally thanking Colin for being so nosy.

Cho selected this photo and propped it up on her bedside table, reminding herself to ask Aunt Hong for some picture frames later on. Then she snapped her trunk open and took out the things she'd taken from the Room of Requirement ­– the box, a couple of vanilla-scented candles hurriedly wrapped in wax paper, even a pillow that still smelled faintly of Cedric. Finally, she unpacked the Pensieve.

When she got back to the dormitory that morning, the girls were already stirring and she had just enough time to put the things away before Marietta woke up. Cho felt a little guilty for hiding her discovery from her best friend, but she wasn't ready to tell anybody else just yet – especially when she didn't know for sure what the vials contained.

Whatever they contained, she was about to find out. Her heart pounding in her ears, Cho uncorked one vial and poured the contents into the Pensieve. Wispy waves of silver ebbed and flowed; it shimmered under the sunlight streaming in through the window. She touched it tentatively with her wand, and the silvery substance began to swirl around faster. Cho thought she could hear cheering.

She bent her head closer to the Pensieve and found herself looking down at the Quidditch pitch. _Cedric's memories!_ Cho thought, overjoyed. _I've found Cedric's memories!_

Her baby, as if wishing to be part of the momentous occasion, kicked her hard. She lost her balance for a moment and then it seemed she was falling, falling into the Black Lake all over again…

It was a brilliantly sunny day, and the scent of freshly cut grass was in the air. Loudly chattering students were quickly filling up the stands. Cho tried to move out of the way of a particularly rowdy bunch including a very young Fred and George Weasley, but soon realised that they went through her like vapor. She surveyed the scene and, from the deep blues and bright yellows of the banners, quickly deduced that it was a match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

'Ravenclaw's going to win this one,' said a voice that Cho immediately recognised as belonging to Roger Davies. Cho whipped her head around this way and that to find where the voice was coming from. Finally, she spotted Roger's tall, lean frame just a few metres ahead among a trio of boys with their backs to her. Roger punched another boy on the arm amicably. 'No offence, mate.'

The boy he'd just punched shifted a familiar grey rucksack from one shoulder to another. Her heart leaped. _Cedric? _

The good-natured laugh she heard next confirmed it. 'None taken. Ravenclaw seems particularly strong this year.'

'Doubt they can beat Gryffindor, though,' said Oliver Wood. 'We've got George Weasley and loads of skill and experience on our side.'

'But is that enough to top Slytherin?' Roger wanted to know. 'Gryffindor has never been good at strategy, and you need strategy to beat Slytherin. Besides, next year Weasley's going to be the only good player left in Gryffindor.'

'That's why I fully intend to try out this year,' Oliver replied seriously. 'Give my house a fighting chance.'

Roger and Cedric laughed.

Cho caught up with them and looked into each boy's face hopefully. There was Roger, tall, dark, and classically good-looking even at a young age. Oliver Wood wasn't as tall as Roger, but he had twinkling eyes, a dimpled smile, and a boyish charm. And then – Cho's heart skipped a beat – there was Cedric! Oh, she'd forgotten that Cedric hadn't always been so tall or so handsome. He was the scrawniest of the three, and his hair was lopped off in a severe flat top. But there was no mistaking this was her Cedric, with those kind grey eyes and strong jaw.

'You should try out, too, Diggory,' Oliver said as they settled into their seats. 'What good is there in going to Quidditch camp every summer with us, if you're not going to play at Hogwarts?'

'I will,' Cedric answered. 'Maybe next year, though. When I'm a third year, like you guys.'

'The sooner you try out, the better off Hufflepuff will be, Ced,' Oliver told him. 'I mean, you have to admit, there aren't lots to choose from. Hufflepuff House is where… well, where all the leftovers get sorted.'

Hurt flickered in Cedric's eyes. Cho's heart ached for him. _He loves Hufflepuff,_ she thought. _Sometimes he doesn't understand why he's there… But he loves what it stands for._

Roger hit Oliver on the back of the head. 'What our idiot friend here is saying, Ced, is that he's just glad that you're not a Keeper or in Gryffindor. He'd have trouble getting on the team if you tried out for the only position he knows how to play.'

Oliver opened his mouth to retort, but Roger hurried to change the subject. 'Hey, check out that girl over there. Two rows ahead and to the right.'

Oliver, Cedric, and Cho turned to look. The blood drained from Cho's face as she realised she was looking at her eleven-year-old self. She was smaller and skinnier; her face was a little rounder. Her hair was much, much shorter, cut pixie-style and almost like a boy's. Most importantly, it was dyed a glorious Ravenclaw blue. Cho knew what this memory was of. It was the first match she had ever watched at Hogwarts.

'She's from my house,' Roger added.

'No kidding,' Oliver said dryly. 'I never would have guessed.'

'She's cute,' Roger said. 'Her name's Cho Chang.'

'I think I've seen her at Quidditch camp,' Cedric said. 'Yeah, we were in the Seeker group together.'

'Stop chatting up ten-year-olds at camp, Ced,' Oliver joked. Roger whooped.

Cedric blushed furiously. 'You guys… It's not like that!'

'Seriously, Ced, you'd make a perfect couple,' Roger teased.

Just then, Madam Hooch blew her whistle to start the match, and the boys immediately straightened up in their seats. The scene began to fade away, and Cho took one last look at the twelve-year-old Cedric before his image dissolved into the silvery threads floating in the Pensieve.

**NEXT:**

More of Cedric's memories from his six years at Hogwarts.

**NOTES:**

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. It's not easy, though. There are some minor changes I'd like to make to the previous chapters. For example, I want to write Amos Diggory into the scene where Cho and her aunt visit Cedric's house. To those who corrected my pinyin – sorry! I learned the old romanisation style from outdated books in my own aunt's bookshelf. I'll sort it out eventually, but my priority right now is to get new chapters up. Cheers to all.


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